Simon Stokes is originally from Dothan, AL, and after going to college at Emory University, he served as an intern for two years with RUF at Auburn University, where he met his wife, Katie. Through his experience at Auburn, he discerned a call to ministry, deciding to move to St. Louis, where he pursued master’s degrees in divinity and counseling at Covenant Seminary. In the spring of 2013, Simon completed those degrees, and he and Katie moved to Chapel Hill so that he could take over as campus minister for RUF. In the Spring of 2020, he completed a Doctorate of Ministry (DMin) at Duke University, where he focused on pastoral leadership and systems theory. Since moving to North Carolina, they have had three children—Emory, Caroline, and Peter.